columbine, the book

For anyone that knows me, you know I love non-fiction "crazy, true, unbelievable" books. Well this is one of them. I was perusing the book section in Costco a few weeks ago and saw this. Once I read the first few pages I had to buy it. I have never cried while reading a book before and I was literally sobbing during parts of this. I was pretty embarrassed too because I was at the pool around a ton of people. A great read if you have any interest in the topic. You feel such sympathy for everyone's lives that were affected by Columbine. The author took about 10 years researching all of the events surrounding the attack. It is fascinating-you feel like you are there!

TOMS

I just got a pair of TOMS and they are really comfortable. But-the best thing about them is when you buy a pair they give a pair to a child who has no shoes! It just makes you feel good when you put them on! You can get yourself a pair here or here. Come on....everyone is doing it!

run to blockbuster TONIGHT

I have been converted. Food, Inc. and an Oprah episode I watched on this movie has totally changed my eating. You can rent it at Blockbuster. I think it is up for some Academy Awards too. I am now obsessed with buying natural food products and organic when it is not too crazy expensive. For everyone is Utah you have to start shopping at Sunflower Farmer's Market. It is great! They have tons of good deals all the time and every Thursday you get 20% off with your college ID. Watch it!!! You will be converted too. Now I want to read the book that the guy from the movie wrote!

i feel like i won the superbowl

Oh my gosh......I am so vindicated right now! Well as it was getting later and I was getting even madder think how they DID NOT give me my drivers license back at the Walgreen's, and I am supposed to leave for the airport in a few hours......

And how I don't want to wait in line for 3 hours at the DMV, and I don't want to pay the $20 to get a new one, and I don't want to be flashing my passport all around NYC as my proof of ID, and the plain simple fact that they are calling me crazy.....

I decided to call and talk to the manager on duty. I explained my predicament; I was leaving for the airport at 4:45 AM and I can't get on the plane without it (a little white lie), that "Scott" my pharmacy tech was not the most helpful (he basically thought I was crazy and didn't believe me and therefore was not giving it his full effort), that if he saw on the security tape himself putting it into the box, but I did not get it out of the box, well.....it must be in the box...yadda yadda yadda

Then the manager on duty says, "well I guess it never hurts to take a second look." And I am saying thank you so much, telling him really exact descriptions of places to look. I was telling him it could have fallen into the weirdest nook under the counter or under the computer or top of the box.

He puts me on hold....for five minutes...then his call ends. Well I figure I will just call back in twenty minutes because he is probably not going to check and just lie to me and say he has.

Two minutes later the phone rings, "Is this Mallory Christensen?"

Sure enough home boy found my license in the box tucked in some nook and cranny. If dear old "Scott" could have taken 2 seconds to check a little more thoroughly when this all happened hours ago, I could be packed and worry free right now.

Needless to say, I will be switching back to my nice friendly local pharmacy!

walgreen's sucks

I'm so frustrated right now. I just went through the Walgreen's pharmacy drive thru and gave the guy my drivers licences and debit card. Then he did whatever he did with it there, put it back in the box and sent it out to me. Expect for the fact that I opened the box and my drivers license was not in there. I immediately said, "can I get my drivers license back?" and he said "I gave it to you" and I was like hmmmmm I don't think so.....

well an hour later, after looking in every nook of my car and going into the store, and having him look at the security tape, and being very nice, and having him look everywhere (but he was not very happy) and I still have no license and he still thinks I'm a crazy customer......ARE YOU KIDDING ME!????

Not to mention I leave for the airport tomorrow morning at 4:45 AM

I am officially boycotting Walgreen's .....you probably should too...

(they will steal your shiz)

set your DVR's

Just a little reminder that some great TV watching is beginning now that it is January. The Bachelor premiered this week and is yet again sucking me in! Monday nights! Also American Idol on Jan. 11! I love this time of year!

2010

I found myself feeling so nostalgic last night right before it was midnight. Like I had not properly reflected on the last decade. So much has happened!

• I went to high school
• Traumatically moved to Utah
• Went to college
• Graduated from college
• Met Ryan
• Got married
• Became a teacher
• 3 of my siblings got married
• Facebook :)

Crazy crazy crazy! I remember so specifically what I did, where I went, what I wore on New Years Eve 1999. I was at Katie Moorhead's house in Spring, TX. I was wearing an aqua ribbed knit sweater with 3/4 length sleeves. My parent's wouldn't let me spend the night at my friend's house, just in case Y2K was real! When some fireworks started a little plant on fire my friend's mom tried to put it out with her glass of wine. Ahhhhh the memories! I hope this next decade is just as exciting as the 2000's have been!

i'm jealous

You have to read my sister-in-law's, blog about living in New York City. They just moved there about 2 weeks ago. They are LIVING THE DREAM! It is absolutely amazing the cool things they get to do and experiences they are already having! We can all live virtually through her :) Check it out here!

ryan's latest obsessions

Ryan's latest obsessions have been both golf and fly fishing. He really was golfing all the time during the summer, and now during the fall he has been fly fishing every semi-warm day. He LOVES it! It is the cutest thing I have ever seen. He spends hours at Eddie Robinson's fly fishing and is on a "first name bases" with Eddie. He even started a Fly Fishing club at BYU with his friend. Check out their blog!

Jensen and Ryan golfing this summer. I went along and drove the cart! This is kind of a mean shot of Ryan, but here he is in his fishing gear. I hope Texas fishing doesn't totally depress him. He says he is very excited for all the good bass fishing....it won't be as beautiful of a setting, but that is what vacations are for!

megan, eat your heart out

As many of you know, my sister Megan recently moved to Canada. Well the biggest complaint she has is that butter is only available in 1 lb. bricks. So they are not quartered like they are here in the states. Well my mom just bought this box of butter with not 4 but 8 sticks of butter. ha ha ha! Each stick was 1/4 cup. Looks like Megan will just have to bring a cooler across the border and hit up Costco every time she visits!

Megan and Rishawn's Baby

How cute is their little baby!??!! When we were visiting Vegas for the UNLV game we stopped by and saw them. She was so cute and I think Ryan was thinking that this whole baby thing was pretty fun :)

new moon

Give me some of that! New Moon was FABULOUS! I saw it last night and loved it!!!!!!!! Can't wait to see it again! I liked it even more than Twilight!

BYU football

We have been able to go to basically all this seasons BYU football games. It has been really fun. We have gone with some of our friends. Here we are at the BYU vs. Colorado State game. We just so happened to be right next to the lone Colorado State fan who was heckling the whole time. It was so funny. That is Jeffery sitting right next to him. It was hilarious....

it's official

Look what made it in the mail. My DIPLOMA! Woo woo....it's official, I really graduated from college, and I really have my teaching certificate. Even though it was a little shady because all I had to do was pay a fee and print off my teaching certificate online. A little unofficial in my mind. I took these to my school district and now these are on my official teaching file! Man it feels soooo good!

cake wrecks

Seriously, check this website out. I saw it on my sister-in-laws blog. So so so funny!

hocus pocus

Halloween would just not be the same without watching the movie "Hocus Pocus". It is one of my favorite holiday traditions. Aubrey and I spent days searching to buy this movie back when we were roommates. It has come so in handy, since every Halloween season it is rented out of all the movie stores. Last year was the only year I haven't watched it in years and I was so sad. Aubrey better move to Houston for her masters so we can carry on this tradition!

mascara

I'm in love with this Maybelline Stiletto mascara! It is by far the best "buy at the grocery store" kind of mascara I have ever used. It really reminds me of the Fiber Lash Mascara from MAC. I'm telling you, try it out for...$5.50 you can't go wrong!

blind bling

Check this out. It is a Mercedes Benz sl600 completely covered in crystals! Insane in the membrane! I just watched a Discovery channel show on it and had to look it up!

WARNING!

ALWAYS PRINT YOUR PICTURES BEFORE YOU PUT THEM ON YOUR COMPUTER!

This is just a warning. I'm so depressed becasuse we had a little computer malfunction this past week and lost sooooo-------- many pictures that we hadn't backed up to our external hard drive yet or printed off. Out trip to California, 4th of July, Disneyland, Segway tour, my parents house remodel, our house almost burning down, and more I probably just can't remember. It just sucks so bad!

the gumball guru

So we are definitely getting a little brave here, but look what we bought! These particular candy dispensing machines cost $250 new and we bought it off KSL.com new in it's box for $50. Now the hard part will be finding a place to put it! We have a few friends that have done this before so they are acting like our "candy coaches". We are excited and have been researching everything from gumballs to 'good and plenty'. We have found out some fascinating things about candy dispensing, especially the part about spraying 'Mike and Ikes' with pam during the summer so they don't all stick together.......that's right folks SPRAYING MIKE AND IKE'S WITH NON-STICK SPRAY before they go into the machine. Kind of disgusting, but I never knew, they always tasted good to me! We will fill you in on our progress, but if anyone knows of a good business for us to put our machines in let us know!!!